Trump tweets his people have all left Drudge

President TrumpDonald John TrumpDemocrats, advocates seethe over Florida voting rights ruling Russian jets identified in Trump campaign ad calling for support for the troops Democratic Senate candidate ‘hesitant’ to get COVID-19 vaccine if approved this year MORE for a second day in row aimed criticism at Matt DrudgeMatthew (Matt) Nathan DrudgeHillicon Valley: Oracle confirms deal with TikTok to be ‘trusted technology provider’ | QAnon spreads across globe, shadowing COVID-19 | VA hit by data breach impacting 46,000 veterans Trump tweets his people have all left Drudge Trump: Drudge no longer ‘hot’ MORE and The Drudge Report on Monday, claiming all of his supporters had abandoned the pioneering conservative news aggregator.

“Our people have all left Drudge. He is a confused MESS, has no clue what happened,” Trump tweeted Monday. “Down 51%. @DRUDGE  They like REVOLVER and others!”

It was unclear what the 51 percent figure referenced, but on Sunday Trump tweeted a blog post claiming traffic to The Drudge Report had declined 40 percent.

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While Drudge was a major figure in the development of the online conservative media ecosystem, Trump and his allies have been increasingly critical of him.

Revolver, the outlet Trump mentioned, is one of several more vocally pro-Trump Drudge alternatives that have appeared in recent months. The president retweeted Rep. Paul GosarPaul Anthony GosarTrump tweets his people have all left Drudge Lara Trump campaigns with far-right activist candidate Laura Loomer in Florida GOP lawmaker says fatal shooting at Kenosha protest ‘100% justified self defense’ MORE (R-Ariz.) promoting the outlet as a Drudge alternative earlier in the month.

In July, Tucker CarlsonTucker CarlsonTrump tweets his people have all left Drudge Trump: Drudge no longer ‘hot’ Tucker Carlson: Climate change is ‘systemic racism in the sky’ MORE, whose Fox News show is regular viewing for the president, called Drudge “firmly a man of the progressive left.”

Trump also lashed out after Drudge highlighted the president’s denial of having been hospitalized for “mini-strokes.” On Sunday, Trump tweeted that the blogger was “bleeding profusely, and is no longer ‘hot’.”

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UN report: Countries have failed to meet a single target to protect wildlife in the last decade

The United Nations said the international community is not doing enough to adequately protect biodiversity and wildlife after determining that countries have not achieved any of the goals in a list of targets laid out 10 years ago. 

The Global Biodiversity Outlook 5, which was published Tuesday before a UN summit on the issue later this month, said the world has failed to meet any of the 20 objectives that the world agreed to at a 2010 summit in Japan that was intended to compile ways to slow the decay of wildlife and life-sustaining ecosystems.

Among the goals were eliminating, phasing out or reforming “incentives, including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity,” halve “the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests” by 2020 and reduce pollution “to levels that are not detrimental to ecosystem function and biodiversity.” 

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“Biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, and the pressures driving this decline are intensifying. None of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets will be fully met, in turn threatening the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and undermining efforts to address climate change,” Tuesday’s report read.

“At the global level none of the 20 targets have been fully achieved, though six targets have been partially achieved.”

The report specifically found that natural habitats are still disappearing, several species are still threatened with extinction and hundreds of billions of dollars in environmentally damaging government subsidies have yet to be eliminated, among other things.

The world did not meet the goals of protecting 17 percent of terrestrial and inland water areas and 10 percent of marine habitats, but some progress has been made on targets regarding protecting other ecosystems, including having 44 percent of vital biodiverse areas falling under protection a boost from 29 percent in 2000.

Overall, of the 60 separate elements divided up from the 20 targets, seven have been achieved, 38 have shown progress and 13 have shown no improvement. Two other elements could not be gauged. Halving the loss of natural habitats, one of the chief targets, has not been met. 

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“[R]eports provided by the world’s governments, as well as other sources of evidence, reveal examples of progress which, if scaled up, could support the transformative changes necessary to achieve the 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature,” the report read.

The report said achieving the goals that were set out by 2050 remains possible but would require more serious action from countries across the globe, including ramping up “efforts to conserve and restore biodiversity,” implementing reforms “in the production of goods and services, especially food” and keep climate change to around 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels “to prevent climate impacts from overwhelming all other actions in support of biodiversity.”

“Options are available to the global community that could simultaneously halt and ultimately reverse biodiversity loss, limit climate change and improve the capacity to adapt to it and meet other goals such as improved food security,” the report said.

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Justice Department indicts two Iranians accused of stealing sensitive data in multiple countries

The Justice Department on Wednesday announced indictments against two Iranian nationals for allegedly targeting and stealing sensitive data from groups in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, in some cases with Iranian government support. 

Hooman Heidarian and Mehdi Farhadin are accused of stealing hundreds of terabytes of data, in some cases at the direction of Tehran, beginning in 2013 from groups including American and foreign universities, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, a defense contractor, an aerospace organization and other groups seen as adversarial to Iran.

Heidarian and Farhadi are alleged to have stolen data including communications on national security, foreign policy intelligence, nuclear information, human rights activism and financial information. 

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According to the Department of Justice, the targeting affiliated with the Iranian government included hacking computer systems connected to Iranian dissidents, human rights groups and opposition leaders. 

The two are also accused of vandalizing websites through defacing them with pro-Iranian government messages and are alleged to have used multiple methods to gain access to networks, including developing a botnet to spread malware viruses and spam their targets. 

They were indicted on ten counts to commit fraud, access to unauthorized computers and identity theft, among others. The charges carry potential prison sentences of several decades added together. The defendants are currently at large. 

“We will not bring the rule of law to cyberspace until governments refuse to provide safe harbor for criminal hacking within their borders,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said in a statement on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, our cases demonstrate that at least four nations — Iran, China, Russia and North Korea — will allow criminal hackers to victimize individuals and companies from around the world, as long as these hackers will also work for that country’s government — gathering information on human rights activists, dissidents and others of intelligence interest.”

“Today’s defendants will now learn that such service to the Iranian regime is not an asset, but a criminal yoke that they will now carry until the day they are brought to justice,” Demers added. 

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Many of the computer networks targeted were based in New Jersey. U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Craig Carpenito said Wednesday in a separate statement that the “brazen” infiltration of computer systems “threatens our national security, and as a result, these defendants are wanted by the FBI and are considered fugitives from justice.”

Iran is considered one of the most dangerous nations in cyberspace alongside Russia, China and North Korea, with federal agencies warning of an increase in cybersecurity threats from Iran earlier this year following the death of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. military strike. 

The new indictments came a day after the DOJ announced charges against an Iranian national and a Palestinian national for allegedly targeting and defacing over 50 U.S. websites in retaliation for the death of Soleimani in January. 

House to vote on 'I Am Vanessa Guillén' bill

The House will vote on a bill seeking to overhaul the military justice system in response to the death of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén, Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiPowell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could ‘scar and damage’ economy Overnight Defense: House to vote on military justice bill spurred by Vanessa Guillén death | Biden courts veterans after Trump’s military controversies Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings MORE (D-Calif.) announced Wednesday after a meeting with Guillén’s family.

“Justice is needed for Vanessa, and for the many service members facing an epidemic of sexual harassment and assault in our armed forces, too often in the shadows,” Pelosi said in a statement.

“I gave the family my commitment that this important first step to combatting sexual harassment and assault would come to the House Floor for a vote, but the Congress will not stop until we have finally, fully ended this epidemic – in the military, in the workplace and in all places,” she added.

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The bill, dubbed the I Am Vanessa Guillén Act, was introduced Wednesday by Rep. Jackie SpeierKaren (Jackie) Lorraine Jacqueline SpeierOvernight Defense: House to vote on military justice bill spurred by Vanessa Guillén death | Biden courts veterans after Trump’s military controversies House to vote on ‘I Am Vanessa Guillén’ bill Overnight Defense: Trump’s battle with Pentagon poses risks in November | Lawmakers launch Fort Hood probe | Military members can’t opt out of tax deferral MORE (D-Calif.) at a news conference outside the Capitol building alongside Guillén’s family and a bipartisan group of lawmakers.

The legislation would take the decision to prosecute sexual assault and harassment charges in the military away from commanders and give it to independent military prosecutors.

It would also make sexual harassment a stand-alone crime in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, create a confidential system to report sexual harassment and require the Government Accountability Office to study how different military branches handle missing service members.

Guillén, whose 21st birthday would have been at the end of this month, went missing from Fort Hood, Texas, in April before some of her dismembered remains were found at the end of June.

Another soldier who was a suspect in her death, Aaron David Robinson, shot and killed himself when authorities attempted to arrest him. A civilian woman, Cecily Ann Aguilar, is awaiting trial on charges that she allegedly helped Robinson dispose of Guillén’s body.

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Before her disappearance, Guillén told her family that she was being sexually harassed by a superior. Her disappearance and death inspired others to come forward with their own stories of sexual harassment and assault in the military, fueled by the social media hashtag “#IAmVanessaGuillén.”

Her death, as well as several others at Fort Hood this year, has sparked several Army investigations. Lawmakers also announced last week they are investigating Fort Hood.

“This particular piece of legislation is going to transform a tragedy into change, not just ordinary change, but tectonic change,” said Speier, who added the bill has 73 co-sponsors.

“I say to the Guillén family: You have our promise that we are going to make sure that Vanessa’s life has not been lost in vain,” Speier added later, turning to address the Guillén family directly.

Speier said the bill would get a vote either in the next few weeks before the House recesses in October or when Congress returns after the November election.

While Guillén’s death is the latest impetus for pushing to change how the military decides to prosecute sexual assault, some lawmakers in both parties and advocates have pushed for changes for years. They argue the current system discourages victims from coming forward and that commanders do not have the proper legal training to make prosecutorial decisions.

But the Pentagon and other bipartisan lawmakers have opposed taking the decision to prosecute outside the chain of command, arguing doing so would undermine the military justice system.

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Canada says former ambassador to US violated conflict-of-interest law

A top Canadian ethics official announced Wednesday that a former ambassador to the U.S. violated a conflict-of-interest law, ordering nine senior government officials to halt all business with him for a year.

Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion said in an order Wednesday that former Ambassador David MacNaughton, an ally of Prime Minister Justin TrudeauJustin Pierre James TrudeauCanada says former ambassador to US violated conflict-of-interest law No new Canadian COVID-19 deaths reported for first time since mid-March Trudeau announces millions for first ‘Black Entrepreneurship Program’ MORE, broke the law as part of his work Palantir, which he joined in a senior role after leaving his ambassadorship last year.

Dion said MacNaughton worked earlier this year to speak or arrange meetings with several public office holders to offer Palantir’s free help with Ottowa’s coronavirus response, an effort the ethics watchdog said violated a law that “prohibits former public office holders from acting in such a manner as to take improper advantage of their previous public office.” 

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“Mr. MacNaughton has acknowledged, with the benefit of hindsight, that these communications and meetings, to the extent they could have furthered the interests of Palantir, were contrary to section 33 of the Act,” Dion wrote.

Dion’s order also mandates nine senior officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains and Chief of Defence Staff for the Canadian Armed Forces Jonathan Vance, pause their dealings with MacNaughton for a year. The officials were among those MacNaughton communicated with in his work for Palantir.

Still, Dion’s office has minimal enforcement powers beyond crafting compliance orders. He can also issue fines and call witnesses for testimony.

The ethics watchdog first opened his probe in June on the urging of a member of Parliament, though MacNaughton has maintained he’s done nothing wrong. 

“I received guidance and I followed it,” he told Politico in May, referencing advice he sought from conflict of interest and ethics officials. “And I wanted to make sure I wasn’t either offside the letter of the law or the spirit of the law.”

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In Wake of Bombshell Op-Ed, Watchdog Calls for Congress to Investigate 'Erratic' Trump—Starting with Subpoenas for Cabinet

An anonymous op-ed detailing President Donald Trump’s erratic behavior, printed in the New York Times last week, set off speculation regarding which Trump administration senior official may have penned the piece—but a government watchdog on Monday said the op-ed is mainly noteworthy not for the palace intrigue described within but because it gives lawmakers more than enough reason to investigate Trump’s alleged abdication of his duty to preside over the country.

The author of the op-ed described him- or herself as one of several high-level government officials who “are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of [Trump’s] agenda and his worst inclinations”—combating the president’s “amorality” and “erratic behavior” in order to promote a conservative agenda like the one many in Trump’s cabinet have spent their careers working to advance. Some officials, the author wrote, had discussed the 25th amendment, which can be invoked to remove a president from office if the vice president and cabinet declare he or she is unfit to hold the office.

The op-ed was published a day after excerpts from Fear: Trump in the White House, an upcoming exposé by veteran journalist Bob Woodward, began circulating—detailing similar concerns raised by top officials including Chief of Staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary James Mattis.

“Whistleblowers have been important throughout history…But the fact that ‘Anonymous’ proudly proclaims there are ‘adults in the room’ holding the line against the president’s worst impulses moves us from whistleblower to an unelected and unaccountable shadow presidency by committee.”                 —Common CauseWhile the op-ed argued that Americans should feel secure in the fact that there are “adults in the room,” Common Cause argued that nothing in the piece should be comforting to the public.

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